The wall between Israel and Palestine is 723 kilometres of barbed wire, concrete and armed sentry posts. You’d have to be mad to consider walking it.

But that’s exactly what comic Mark Thomas did and his current show, Extreme Rambling, tells the story.

If you’ve seen Mark Thomas on TV and picture him as a dour, politically-active comedian, prepare for a shock.

On stage, he is outgoing, enthusiastic and theatrical.

He tells the story of his eight-week walk through a mixture of anecdote, characters and gags. In exploring the route of the Israeli Barrier, he paints a vivid picture of the countryside and the people and injustices that inhabit it.

Mark’s appearance at the Kendal Freerange Comedy Festival was a sell-out, with an additional 100 seats in the main theatre.

During the course of the 2-hour show, he roamed the stage, pouring energy into the room and sweeping the audience with him.

This wasn’t a right-on, left-wing pro-Palestinian lecture.

It was an entertaining and often poignant recreation of a journey which at times clearly left him surprised, amused, scared and outraged.

Mark Thomas describes himself on his Twitter feed (@markthomasinfo) as an old time alternative comedian. I wasn’t sure what to make of it until I saw this gig. What a relief to find there is still a comic who cares about more than getting a TV deal; who want to change the world and can argue his case in front of an audience.

Extreme Rambling surpassed the usual stand-up gig; it is an intensely personal journey, recreated with passion, belief and a fine sense of injustice.

Highly recommended.